Once again, an astounding qualitative array of winemakers, wines and wine/food events will take place April 22-26 in the Houston area.

The kick-off, black tie, gourmet food and wine event, entitled “One Enchanted Evening,” will be held Wednesday, April 22, at Robert Gadsby’s new and totally cool restaurant, Bedford, at 1001 Studewood just north of I-10 near downtown Houston. The honored guests will be Rich Frank of Frank Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley and his winemaker, Todd Graff.

Frank, a former president of Walt Disney Studios and chairman of Walt Disney Television, purchased the historic Larkmeade property (third oldest winery in the Napa Valley) in 1992. Since sparkling wine was already being produced there, in addition to the fabulous table wines mentioned below, Frank greatly upgraded the quality and has five sparkling wines, my favorite being the Blanc de Noir, a crisp, dry sparkler with hints of strawberries in the nose, lovely texture in the mouth and a rich finish.

Frank’s winemaker Graff, with double degrees in plant sciences and viticulture, has extensive experience with sparkling wines, working at Cordoniu and serving as assistant winemaker and vineyard manager at Schramsberg in the Napa Valley. More importantly, he has worked all over the world, including St. Emilion, France; Hunter Valley, Australia; and lastly, honed his skills as assistant winemaker at Stags ’ Leap Winery in the Napa Valley. This is very important, as the focus of Frank Family is on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Just as importantly, the grapes for these two varietals come primarily from some of the best vineyards in California, one being the famous Winston Hill Vineyard on Frank ’s own estate.

With the extremely high quality of the

wines—along with a new tasting room—plus the creative handling of the brand by the creative owner and his cult tasting-room figure Dennis Zabloski, this is Napa Valley ’s “hottest “ spot. Wine and fun are the name of the game. The following wines are among the elite of the Napa Valley (or anywhere) and each is an excellent value in its price range:

Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay Napa Valley 2007 – A vibrant wine with ripe peaches and pears in the bouquet followed by layers of taste including pineapple and toasted pound cake flavors. Aged in approximately 1/3 new French oak for 11 months —just about perfect. Try with any fish, shrimp, crabmeat or lobster course. $35

Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel Napa Valley 2006 – This fabulous Zin exhibits cherries and blackberry pie in the nose. It is rich with raspberry and spice in the taste and a long finish. Perfect with anything from meat pizzas to pork loin

Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2005 – Very dark purplish color with aromas of black cherries, blueberries and a hint of casis. Excellent fruit with tender tannins —supple in the mouth. Serve with veal or steak, especially with a Cabernet reduction sauce. $45

Frank Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve Napa Valley 2005 – A higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (91 percent) than the Napa Cab, along with a dollop of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot, with 25 months of aging in 50 percent new French oak barrels, has resulted in plentiful aromas of juicy ripe blackberries and chocolate covered cherries. There are also hints of blueberries, spice and even a caramel note. A big, bold, ripe-fruit beauty. I ’d save for steaks and rack of lamb. $85

 Other exciting events abound at the Grand Wine and Food Affair, including award-winning wineries, chefs from all over the world —Spain, Australia, France, New Zealand and South Africa. Also, over 100 wineries will be in attendance. One can go to the Web site and choose from vintner dinners, wine tastings, an elegant Grand Tasting, a Riedel seminar, a casual outdoor “sip-and-stroll and the annual “around-the-world” bistro brunch among many others.

They desire no credit, but Louis Garvin and Keri Schmidt of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the event, deserve accolades for creating and continuing to upgrade this now nationally-known event.

Please visit www.thegrandwineandfood-affair.com.